| Summary: | Minutes of the Board of Trustees meetings held in 1935.D
Febr~ary 22 , 1935
BOAPJ) fitEETING
Meeting of the Boa rd of Trustees , February 22 , 1935, in the office of Governor
Bibb Graves , chair:'Dan, State Capitol, MontgmJlcry, Al abama, star ting at 11 a .m.,
with the following present:
Governor Bibb Graves, chairman, Messer s , J. A. Keller, Char les Henderson, C. W.
Ashcraf t , H. H. Co~~er, Victor H. Hanson, T. D. Samford, H. D. Merrill, C. S.
Cul ver, Paul S. Haley. ABSENT: Messers. J. A. Rogers and W. H. Oat es.
After the roll call, r evealing 10 melllber ~:; present and two abs ent , the Chairman
declared a quorum present and asked for the order of bus iness . The Board r equested
a report fr om the committee created by the Board of Trustees on July
28, 1932 and appointed by the Governor (then Governor B. M. Miller) t o make
recommendations for the position of president of the Al abama Polytechnic
Institute, members of the committee (on this date) being: Governor Graves ,
Dr. Hanson, Mr . Ashcraft , Mr. Keller, Col. Samford , and Judge Merrill.
Governor Graves said that the commi ttee had met in his office the evening
before- February 21- and decided to recommend Dr. Luther !-Toble Duncan for
the position.
Mr. Samford moved that the report of the committee be accepted and approved
and that Dr. L. N. Duncan be el ect ed president t o hold the office and to
s erve at the pleasure of the Board of Trustees.
After some discussion a roll call was r equested, each member voting either
"yes" or "no". The following voted "yes": Messers . Graves, Keller, Henderson,
Ashcraft, Conner, Samford, Merrill, and Haley. Mr. Hanson and Mr. Culver
voted "no". Mr . Hanson read t he following statement in explanation of his
vote:
"I ask the pardon of t he Board for making a statement in
regard to my vote on t he nomination of Dr. Duncan to be
President of Alabama Polytechnic Institute. I make the
statement because I think i t i s only f air t o AublITn, t o
my friends and to Dr. Duncan that I do so.
"I have expressed myself publ icly on more than one occasion
as opposing hi s el ection, because I conscient iously bel ieve it
would not be t o the best interests of t he i nsti t ution. I am
going t o vote "no" on thi s motion for the same reason. I
fully realize that my vote will be in the minority, and I
shall not oppose Dr. Duncan 's election further than so t o
cast my vot e.
"To make a fight agains t the evident will of a ma jority of
this Board could serve only to reopen old wounds and create
new antagonisms . If Dr. Duncan is to be President of Auburn,
we who love Auburn and are devoted to i ts advancement and its
welfare mus t not only bow to the will of the majorit y, but we
must actively hope and work to make his administrat ion a
success.
page 2_
Beard inut es
2/22/55
"The insti tuti on i s greater than any man. It has a vital ly
important function in the l ife of the people of the State.
We must not l et personal prejudices and personal differences
interfere with Auburn's service to Alabama. I hope sincerely
that events will prove that I have been mistaken in my attitude,
and that under Dr. Duncan's leadership the institution will go
forward to new heights of achievement. Certainly, in so f ar
as I am able cons cientiously t o do so, I shall cooperate in
every way possible t o aid in brL~ ing thi s about.
Mr. Culver made a verbal statement, declaring that in his judgment
"it was not best for t he institut ion to elect Dr. Duncan. 1T
At the opening roll call Governor Graves read a lett er from Senator John
A.Rogers, as follows :
"Honorable Bibb Graves
Governor of Alabama
"Dear Governor Graves:
"Gainesville, Al abama
February 14, 1935
"Since receiving notice that the Auburn board of
trustees are to have their regular meeting in your
office at the Capitol in Montgomery Friday, February 22,
and since I understand the propof:'.ition of electing a
fres i dent of Auburn will be taken up at that meeting,
and since I can not be present at this meeting, I take
this opportunity to request you t o act as my proxy to
nominate Dr. L. N. Duncan, Auburn, Al abama, for the
position as President of the Alabama Polytechnic
Institute.
"Thanki ng you for this favor, and regretti ng veT"'oJ
much that i t will not be possible for me to attend this
meeting, I remain
Yours very t ruly
( s i gned) John A. Rogers"
The Board then voted unanimously to make t his letter a part of the minut es
of the meeting, the s eJ.lne being done without precendent in voting .
The vote on Dr. Duncan' s nomination revealed that 8 of t he 10 voted "yes Tl
and 2 voted "no". The Chairman then declared him elected . Dr. Hanson
moved, seconded by Mr. Culver, tha.t Mr. Rogers be r ecorded as voting "yes Tl •
All voted for it except Mr . Haley who vot ed "no".
Upon i-:lot ion by Mr. Hal ey, seconded by Mr. Hanson, t he Board then adopted
by unanimous vote the followi ng r esolution:
p2ge 3 .
Board Minutes
2/22/'35
"WHEREAS, the committee appointed to recommend a President of the
Alabama Polytechnic Institute, has report ed recommending the selection
of Dr. Luther Noble Duncan, and
"WHEREAS, the report of this committee has been adopted by this Board,
now, therefore,
"BE IT RESOLVED:
"I. That Dr. Luther Noble Duncan be and he is hereby elected
President of the Alabama Polytechnic Institut e, effective
at once.
"2. That Dr. Duncan be continued as Director of the Agricultural
Extension Service of the Alabama Polytechnic Institute.
"'3. ' That Dr. Duncan' s salary be fixed at ten thousand doll ars per
annum, effective March 1, 1935, and budget ed as fol lows :
(a) Five thousand dollars per annum from the funds of t he
Alabama Polytechnic Institute; and
(b) Five thousand dollars per annum from the funds of t he
Extension Service of the Alabama Polytechnic Institute.
(c) Provided that his sal ary be subject t o any and all
prorations in accordance wi t h all resolutions heret ofore
or hereafter adopted by this Board of Trustees but t hat
at t he end of each fis cal year Dr. Duncan be reimbursed
from Extension Service funds , if available, for any and
all losses incurred by proration of his salary from t he
Alabama Polytechnic Institut e.
"4. That in addition to his sa l ary Dr. Duncan shall be entitled
to occupy the President's Mansion, together with such conveniences
and pE~quisites as properly and appropriately accompany
it. The Board authorizes such repairs and refurnishings
of the Mansion as may be necessary.
"5. That Dr. Duncan, as president, is instructed to make a t horough
and careful study of all departments and divisions of the Institution
and recommend such changes, adjustments, coordiantions
and consolidations as will enable it to function efficiently,
effectively and harmoniously on the funds available.
"6. That in order to carry out the aims and purposes of Parag r aph
5 above, the President is hereby authorized, empowered and instructed
to nominate the f aculty and staff for the fisc al year
beginning July 1, 1935, t o be act ed upon by the Board of
Trustees at its next regular meeting.
page 4
Board Minutes
2/ 22/ '35
Dr. Duncan was asked to make a statement which he did. He expressed his
appreciation to the Board, decl ared himself as mindful of the great responsibility
accompanying the position to which he had been el ec t ed, and pledg ed
his "best service at all times and everywhere in the interest of the
Alabama Polytechnic Institute in every way."
Mr. Haley made a brief statement concerning Dr. Duncan, pr a l s lrJg him for
his efficiency, his high ideals, and his noble purpose in life. He
predicted for him and for the Alabama Polytechnic Institute a very successful
administration.
By motion of Mr. T. D. Samford, seconded by Nir. V. H. Hanson, the following
resolutions were unanimously adopted:
"I. The Board of Trustees duly and deeply appreciate t he
wonderful services which has been performed by Dr. J. J.
Wilmore, Dr. B. H. Crenshaw, and Dr. L. N. Duncan, a ct ing
as the Administr ative Committee of the Al abama Polytechnic
Ins t itute for nearly three year s , covering perhaos the
most trying period in the history of the institution.
"2. The Board ful ly appreciates t he personal sacr ifice which
has been made by each of these servants in t heir efforts
t o carry on the work of the college, and its allied interests ,
at a time when it was practically impossible to secure the
services of a president to take charge of the affairs of the
college when the future looked gloomy and almost desperate.
The spirit of harmonious cooper ation of t he members of this
Administrative Committee will always stand out in bold relief
as an object lesson t o inspire ot hers in a spirit of helpful
ness and cooperation for t he accompli shment of the best
work possible to be achieved by the f acul ty, instructors ,
empl oyees and attaches of the instit ut ion. The Board
fully realizes that the best good cannot be accomplished
without the hearty and harmonious cooperation of all of
those charged with the duties and responsibilities involved
in an earnest endeavor to build up the Auburn College and
the Auburn spirit to the highest degree of attainment and
efficiency. What has been done by this Administr ative
Committee demonstrates what can be done if everyone will
work together in the same earnest desire to labor for the
best interest of the college.
"3. The Board appreciates the s pirit of res ignati on and selfeffacement
manifested by Dr. Wilmore and Dr. Crenshaw in
resigning the honorable position which each has held and
returning to t heir respective places in the r anks of the
faculty of the college. Their modesty and spirit of selfforgetfulness
in this regard is t ruly char acteristic of the
greatness of these t wo men. The friends of Auburn everywhere
will always remember with a spirit of gr atitude the
service which t hese men have performed.
- ,
he
page 5
Board Minutes
2/22/35
Mr. Culver commented on the motion which/endorsed heartily and praised the
Administrative Committee for their work.
Dr. B. H. Crenshaw told the Board that he had f avored the election of Dr .
Duncan as president from the time of the vacancy created by the res ignation
of Dr. Bradford Knapp and that 111 am still for it." He praised and thanked
the Board for i ts action.
After presenting the report from the Administrative Committee to the Board
of Trustees, Dr. Wilmore tol d the Board of his genuine Dleasure at the
el ection of Dr . Duncan as president whom, he dElcl ared, "has given himself
unselfishly and mos t efficiently to the services of the insti t ution wi t h
which he has been connected."
Upon motion by Mr. Samford , seconded by Mr . Ashcraft, the Board received
the renort from the Administr ative Committ ee, commending Dr . Wilmore for
the thoro~h and intelligent way in which he had written it. (A copy of
this report is attached.,
Upon recommendation of Dr. Duncan the Board adopted a resolution that
salaries of Dr. Wilmore and Dr. Crenshaw remain unchanged through the
current fiscal year .
The act ion of t he Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees at a meeti ng
on December 31, 1935, authorizing the Administrative Committee to enter into
an agreement for certain cooperative work with the Tennessee Va l ley Authority
as recorded in the mi nutes of that meeting ~ approved by unanimous vote.
Upon motion by Mr . Charles henderson,
Board recessed &ubject to call by
Administrative Committee
ALABA!~ POLYTEOIDl'IC INSTITUTE
Auburn, Alabem~.
~ebTU8.ry az ~ 1935
TO THE HONORABLE EOARD OF TRUSTEES
of the
ALAEAMA POLYT:l!:CIDnC I NSTI TUTE
Gentlemen:
In consideration of the fact that
this meeting is held near the middle of the
college year , no effort has been me-de to compile
a complete report . Only such msttera
are brought to your a.ttention as we felt would
be of i nterest t o the meniliers of the Board and
would be of va.lue i n ena.b ling you to act
intelligently.
The heads of schools and departments
were no t asked to present detailed reports and
the matters i ncluded are of a g ener ~l nature p
appl ying mostly to the ins titut ion as a whole .
Respectfully submitted
Jno. J . Wilmore
E. H. Crenshaw
L. l~ . Duncan
ADMI:'SISTRATIVE COMMITTEE
THE STUDENT BODY
The tot.al reg is t r a tion f or the: pr esent year is 1912 . t J1E' t~~ ir d l ar.g es t i n
t :te history of the i nstitu ti on . Jertai n r egis t r :o tion f igures or ~t a tis ti c s haVE) been
compiled a nd 2re pr esE:lited as of p ossible i nte r es t to t hE. memb ers of t he Boa,rd .
These figures show t he number of students in t he differ ent s chool s f or t ile pas t
f i ve year s , and t h e nurr:ber of degre es granted.. A..'lo tha t able shows t ile dist r i but
i on of t ile facul t y in the differ en t tSr cd~~ 1 t he numb c-r of s tudent s p er i n s t ruc to r ~
and c ompara t i ve figures from ot he r i:1::l t i -cu tions of similar size in the s out he8s t €. rn
sta tes . 'He might ment i on the fac t t ·Cl!:l.t our loads :;..rc wel l i n l ine wi th t h ose of
other j,ns ti t utions .
A.ttent ion was called i n ~ former r ep or t t o the h eavy L .lling off i n r eg i s t
r ~ i on in 1932 ..... ~.,3 , due 12,r gely we believe t o the f a c t that nn c ontact was made
wi t Il h igh sC:":'ool gr ad1.18t es t o i nter es t t bem in €;'1 t ering ii.1.!burn . The ye er 1933-34 ,
while the tot&,l r egis t. r pt i on wa s smaller t h:=tn i n t hE> previou s yea r , Sho ed an i ncrease
of 20 pfr c e-nt i n fre shman registr a t i on. The f r e shman r egi s t r ."' t i on f or the
p r esent year is mor e t i.lan 30 per cent g r ee,ter t llan l ast yea r , and sh ows t he
largest f r eshman cIa,ss i n t he history of the i nstitu ti on . At t en tion migh t be
c a l led to the fac t t h8 t t:b E f r eshman c l a s s i s t DA only one V/h i ch can show &ny
apD T e~ isbl e i ucrease.
We rio not s olici t students ou tsio.e t he sta t e of Alabama. Ab ou t 18 per cent
of our student '" come from out of t hE:: sta t e . and t hese 11sually come on t he recommenda
tion of former stu dent s cr of r e l a t ives who live in t he s t a te . We have very
little exc ess ce,pacity i n DJ.ildings and e quipment and we fe d t hat i n t wo or t h ree
-:-,. ears we w. ll r ea ch t ne limit of O"ll' pr ' s fmt f e.cil t t i t'S and t hat Alatama young men
and women are ent :.Ued to f i r s t c ons idera tion .
The general att itud.E" and ~onduct of t hE s t u d.ent b o d~ ha s been g ood. The
a verage of sci._ol:3r s ili p a s 'been g ood bm; so many of our s tud.euts are trying to
work and pay pp..rt or a l l of t heir expensE::s ~h il e t',;oing to col l ege . Mos t of us h.ave
l Ear ned t hat j t t a.~ es about all of a man ' s t ime jus t t o make a l iving . Nec es s e,r i.ly
st''L(l ents w.u.o tl'Y to iYJ8ke a l iving and. c a r ry a course of col lege work find i t
~iff ic1.tJ.t , if not impos s i ble to d_o it . Si nce t h ey mus t live t he coll ege work
often suf f ers .
T'ne pressure for l oans , s ch ola rships end job s i s v er y grea,t . The GO'tTE' r mnent
gave 1.1S an a l l otment of 185 stu.d ent s for t he pr eseL1t yea r , t h ese t o be s el ec t ed
from S.:9pl i ca.nt s who could not e.t t eno. c ollege \"ithout financ ial :",s s istcmce . Th E; se
student s were premit t ed t o work and. earn a,n average of fif t een dollars -pu' mont h .
Hore t han 800 appl i ca tions wer e r ecei ved f or -these places , Tllan~ of t nem from
persons who could. not fL .. anc f t he remai nder of t he expense . I pre sume we he,ve
r eceived not less than 1200 or illore ap ~Jlic L~tion s fo r f i nancia l a.s sis t ancE clu i ng the
r-a st year . Collec tions on the va r i ous loan funds a r e pr actica l y not hing .
The health of t h e student b ody a s a Whole has b e e. goorl. At one t ime
b E:;fo r e the Chris t mas h olidays t ilere were a good many s t udents Otl tbc sick l i s t
with flu, bu t t here wer eno s er i ous ca s es .
Smitl"_ Ball , t h e wome.n ' s dormitory, wa s f i n i shed and USHl a t t he b egi nning
of t h e f irst s elnester i n September . Clas srooms and pr ac t i ce rooms wer e pr ovided
i n t : i s bu i l ding f or s ome of t he c l a flses i n. Home Economic s , usi ng t he space
f or merly occupied by t ne ca fe t er ia. We f eel t hat t he buildi ng i s conside r ab l y
mor e u s eful and conveni ent than it was oGfo r e the fj,re .
GRADUATES I ~ ALL COORSES
1934-35 1933-34 19~ 2-33 1931- 32 1~~
Bachelor of Science 313 276 304 275
Iv aster of Science .26 43 46 30
Professional Degre es 4.2 5 5
HonorCi.ry Degrees
Tot9.1
3 346 321--
STATISTICS ON REGISTRATION
SCnOOL
Agricu1 ture
AI'cnitecture a,nd Allied Artl3
ChewistrJ and Pharmacy
Educatio-'l
Engineering
*Graduate Studies
Home Economics
Science and Litereture
Veterinary Medicine
Total Registration
Summer Session
Extension Teaching
Farmers 1 Short Course
Short Course fo r Club Girls
and Boys
Short Course for Veterinarians
Dairy Short Course
115
106
209
315
528
75
82
423
133
191.2
1089
981
571
roo
70
-~- 4943
90
111
182
.255
474
65
74
360
102
1648
732
449
719
38
60
-.?.L
3668
117
126
182
296
509
102
79
329
_ _ 84
1721
899
579
503
1135
40
_18
3925
_ --.L
360
126
145
204
393
676
118
88
347
_ _ 6§.
2025
1184
967
835
154
26
~-
5211
1
311
124
138
180
412
6'75
88
80
307
_ 43
1927
1191
1109
818
147
33
*Students registered in t he SC~ Qo1 of Gr ? duat~ St udi es ar e clas sified and
i ncluded in the other schools .
T~AC~"mR-LO ADS
of
.ALA:8M.~A POLY'!'tWHHI C IUS TI TUTE
1933-34 "" __ ~1~932-33 1931 ... 32 1930- 31
Professors 54
Associat~ Professors 27
Assistant Professors 42
Instructors 41
Student Assist ~~ts 15
179
To t al Students 1648
Stude ~ ts uer instru~tor ,
all ranks 9.2
Ho . instructors , exc1ud_i ng
student a.ssist2nts 164
Students per i nstructor,
excluding student assts . 10 .1
I ns~r uctors of Pr ofessional r a
rank 123
Students per instructor ,
professional rank 13.1
Full Professors 54
Studeds per full profes sor 30 0 5
57
30
47
38
18
190
1721
9.0
172
10 .0
134
12.8
57
30.2
58
32
48
44
_ 28_
210
2025
9. 6
182
11.1
138
14. 7
58
34. 5
COMFAB.ATlVE TEACHER-I.OADS
56
30
44
38
20
188
1927
10. 2
168
11 .5
130
14.8
56
34.4
Students Students
Year of Total "No. Total No . p er I nstr . per
Report ..-lllstructors Students all r anks f ull Prof .
Alabama Polytechnic I nsti tute
University of Alabama
Clemson College
Georgia School of Technology
University of Ken tucky
Miss issippi A. & M. College
~r orth Carolina Stat e College
1933- 34
1933-34
1932-33
1932-33
1932-33
1932-33
1932 ... 33
University of Tennessee 1932-33
Virginia Polytechnic I nstitute 1931-32
179
2:31
116
155
284
101
180
196
231
Averpge
1648
4433
1207
2088
3047
886
1644
2249
1810
9.2
19.2
10. 4
13. 5
~0 . 7
8.8
9.1
11 . 4
_7~
11.1
30 . 5
77. 7
24. 1
50 . 9
33. 5
28,4
27 .0
43.2
34.8
38 . 9
Vii th t he conversion of the lower floor of La.ngd.on Hall i nto a Stud.ent
Social Cent er a nd the lea s ing of t ILE ol d _\elburn High School ]3uilc ing for a
~ omen l s Gymnasium, the socipl activities of the stu den t body have been i ncreased
both as regerds t he number of events an'.l the number of s t 'o c1.ents part icipati ng .
So far as 'ire can observe t his has caused no lowering of scholastic a chi evement,
and we feel that because of these activities fewer students have been leaving
town on week- E'mds t r:an would d.o so i f t he s ocial activities were no t availab le .
The at11el tic activities for t ns I'ast year , from t he s: i;&ndpoi.J.t of w:'nning
intercolhf;ic1te game s ~ ha.ve not aeen ve ry successful , but from t h e stc.ndnoint of
g o od feelip..g between the stude:--.ts , the coaches , '3..nd. the col] sge aut h oi ities , con-di
tions have beeJ.1 v ery ea t i s f a.ctory. One of t he bl' ea t needs of the b.sti tQtion
is the expanding of a t~:,letic pe.rticipr- tion to all s tuclEhltS . We are building
four neVi tennts courts on the coll c-r 'e g r ounds and we enco<.U'age t he f r c:.t ern i ti es
to build courts and sponsor tournaments a,i_d cont ests Ll vcrio Lls games . The nonir
e.t crnHy group , L , ; ch constitut es more t b."I.H half the stucient Llo dy . is unorganized
a nd is no t provided wi t :l equipment or iilstn'..ction in wholeSOll1e athletics . Ad.d:i tional
p lay i ng fiE)lds . courts a.nd e qui pment are needed t o encoUl'a.ge more g ener" l pa r tici pa.ti
on of the a.ver a.ee studellt i n Wholesome exerci se . It is '~e li eved th::t such activity
would further redllce t he number of week- end h i tch-hi kers .
1nc1'e 2<si11g i nterest is being Sl lOWll by stu Ci ents in dramatics a nd debating .
About 35 students are directly il'J.terestec. i n deba ting and. c omp ~; t € for places on
t he debating t.eems . Twenty- nine i n ter c oIJ €g ia.te debdes are sci::eduled fo r t he
present year . tl~ irt 6E::r: of \'/l.. i ch h?ve been or will be on t he Auburn c E..mpus . More
t han 400 are i n clt?sses in public spealcing .
Tne an:1ual high school tournc:.nent is sCJ.leJuled for t hE' latter part of March
tn which 23 high schools k:ill s end t eeJr.s to Aubul'n to comp ~ t e in Langdon Hall.
Th en~ will be contests i n orCl.tory , deba ting , drame.t i cs , and music f or prizes Vir. ich
are p roviC~ec1 by intercs ted pHsons ill Aub'LU'n and elsewhere .
THE FACULTY
During these t imes of depression when t he student s ane. t h eir :;>arent s are
working -u.nder \l1lusu.al finall0ic,1 difficult ies , we h ave fel t an inc;reC'.sir..g o1J ligation
to furnish t he best fJ ossi~ l e instr'-'.ctiotl to t hose who were i n a tt endance a t Auburn .
Differe,lt fr:Jt' t he plan adopt ed at ro~.r..y ot h er ins titutions we .r>_ave kept . a ~ fe.r as
possible, the b Ast men on the sta f f ano. disc')r.t i m::.ed student instrilc tors , scL0larsh
i p s , fel l owsh i ps , and i n s ome few cases, the more inexperienced i ns tructors . W1'lile
we have hed substantial reductions in Oul' reg is t rati':m , we have not f elt it wise to
disc')ntinue any of ou t s t 8.ndard cur r icula, and, so have pr actiCAlly the SEme number
of courses and the sallie number of classes as y{ ~ !:J.acl v;hen our reg istra tion was a.t
its peak. Duri ng t he past semester 144 i nstructors held classes 2324 hours p er week,
in which 1 6 ~ 418 studer.t s received instruction for 43 , 549 student class hours per
week.
The faculty and other members of t he staff are still standing by and carrying
on the work of the inst itution in the most f '3.ithful Cl,nd conscientious manner . We
feel t hat it is only f air to them to revi ew briefly some of the difficulties which
have bes e t them duri ng t he ,.Jast few years .
In 1931-32 the state we-a unable to cash its warrs,nts and t he only cash available
was t hat received from student fe es . Certif icates were issued agaiust t he warrants
and t :he salaries pai d with these certificates . They were accep t ed to a limited
extent by the merchants in Auburn and ne arby cities .
I I - I
At t he beginni!lg of the yea r 1932- 33 t He budgeted s a l aries were cut on a
scale of 10 pf'T cent . 7 per cen t . and 5 per cent i n diff erent sa.lary ranges .
Then the budget l aw was passed wl:ich restricted t~1.e money pai d ont hy the Stat e
Treasury on a so- called pro- I'ata basis . Under t h&.t l aw we received an amount
fro~ t he state wnich p srmitted us to pay only 45 per cent of t he budgeted salaries .
A professor who had been budgeted at $2 , 000 a year would be bu.dgeted, after t he
10 pH cent cut , at $1 , 800 , a"ld 45 per cent of $1 , 800 wou l d be $810 , or $67 . 50
per month, an a..'l1ount entirely i na.dequate for t he stp,i1dard of living whi ~h an
instructor in a ~1.ationally knoWD. stHte instL.ltion should ma i nt a in . i::el'e were
64 members of t1:" staff who ;vere scheduled for s alaries of $2 ,000 or less per yea r .
During tb.e year 1933-34 we were able to pay two- thirds of t he salaries as
budg0ted aft er the cut had been deducted. For the present year we are paying on
a bas i s of 60 :)er cent end we do not now s ee how we can better t Hat unless some
unexpected revenues are fort.' .. comng. If we a.re able t o do as well t l:is year as
l as t, ~rte f aculty and staff a t Auburn will still have contributed by Oc tobbr I,
1935, $541 , 764 'liO the payment of state de-ots and maintenance out of salaries which
they .ha.d earned ?ut never received.
:I!embers of t L.:; staff wl:o WE:re called uyon f Ol' var ioil.£ k i nds of gov ernrllcllt
service O!' for other jobs wh ich would. Help t hem, were g i ver: leave of ab sence and
e 'lcouraged to dO su.cL work. The class work of t hese .tle r sons was <1.1V'ided among
t h e other members of t he depa.rtment where it c oul d -ve done without injury t o t!'ie
instruction , and in other cases new i nstructor's Vlere empl oYE>d for the I:leri od of
t he leave. The follo-;iine:; tabulation shows the numb ~ r of a.pPoint ments , leavE:s
of absence, and other f aculty changes which have b een ma.de since Sep tember 1 , 1332:
1932-33 1933- 34 1934-35
Deaths of faculty 0 1 0
Res igne.t ions 1~ 18 15
Leaves of absence 8 25 21
Returns from leaVe> of 9.bse71ce 2 5 6
New appoi ntments 10 15 24
Changes i n raui:r or title 7 e 22
GOVERNMENT RELIEF AND THE PHYSICAL PLANT
As sta ted i n a previous report the United States Gov ernment put i nt o various
projects o. the campus l ast yea,r approximatel y $69. 000. 00 and $9 , 240 . 00 for student
relief . Duri.1g t he pres ent year we have e.n a,llotment f rom the Federe l Emergency
Relief Administration of 185 students ,-;ho are permitted 1;0 work ana. earn an aver age
of $15 . 00 per month e ach , or a tota l for t he ni ne months of $24, 975 . 00 which is paid
in monthly installments by the relief organiza tion in t his state .
_~ ticipatine additional government funds for public use we have filed with
t he Relief Administre t ion several pr ojects which , if authorized, wi :.l be of great
value to the institution. Among t hese may be ment ioned repairs and improvements
on bund.ings . the construction of an Audit orium and Armory B1.li.l ding , compl E<t i on
of Stadium, sewage d.isposa l plant . Aeronaut ical Engineering J~abor a tory , Annex to
Libra ry , ana. s )me othH minor p rojects . Some of t rh se are fully d.l"signed and ready
for work to ueg i n promptly i f the plans of the administre tion for t h6 use of reli .".f
funds are ca r ried out.
Yi ~ '3,re under meny obliga.tions to the State Eoa.rd ()f Administra tion a'1.d tne
State Hi ghw8,Y Depart;pent (lirectly fo r the constr-u.ction of approximately '1 , 270 fee t
of roads on our campus . Of that. amount 3 , 700 feet were constructed of Am"3.site ,
~ I
an asphaltic road mat erial, y· ith c oncrete curb a nd 3 , 570 fee t of s t e.nda r d concret e
wi t :'1 gut '~ er 3.nd curb . These improv ame ts ad.d ver y g r eatly to t he appear Hnce of the
c ampus and the convenienc e of ge t ting about , and we wish t o expr ess our deep apprecie,
tion t o Gover nor Mi ller , Mr . '17. F . Feagin, .?nd t hE' ma'1f16ement of t h e State
Hi ghway Dep.'lrtment for making th e~e i mprovements possib le .
T.h.e Plant Ser vice Department has o. O:1e a large amount of upk eep , repe,ir "nd
cons tructio tl 1l ork dur i ng t he; presE:nt c ollege yea r . This i ncludes pe.inting . refi
.ai sh ing . cuci repairi ng Duil dings . building cases and. shelving , ma..1.r i ng va r ious
changes :for tile better ut iliza t ion of t he buildings , and 11:pk'eep and i mprovement of
campus, \'ie greatly need some fun1s t o build suitable .'.:.1.:.<"5 011 t he campus . TLe
Hi gbvay DepartrGent Cel1Ilot U 6 t he funds of that c.epartment for buildj"ng walks •
• F.' ~ re constrained to bl'ing to your 8.ttent iou certe i n ot h Er very urgent ne eds
of the i nsLtutiol1 in 'lrder t .hCl t it may serve its s tudents a'1~_ t h e peopl e of the sta te
a t it s be s t eff iciency . The gre&test of th £ ~e needs perh aps w ou~ d be new books for
t :lle Idbrpry . Y;i thout new books the instructors cannot keep up tp date i n t heir f i eld_S
of wOl'k , &"'1.d certainly with t he sa l a ries t !l.ey have rec eived t hey ct)'.ll c. not buy books
f or t~: bmse lves . In advanced work 0: any kino no text-oook cont£: ins a ] 1 the materia l
Wili ch a live j nstruct or wishes to ,sive his c l a sses . In many of tJ:l~ (lepartments t he
lib r '-ry i s t he la:bor .? tory in which t~1 CY do th eir work . 'I'his yee.r $800 . 00 we.s s et
a.si d_e to buy books . B;y the time ~~1G. t was c1.ivio.ed around , t he De~lc+ rtm€)'\t of Mechanica l
and Aeron.<:.utical Engineering wi th 210 s t ".lclents was a:uth orize0.. to spend $12 . 00 for
b ooks . T:i.1is gaye us three books end tl"en t he cost was a dollc:.r more t han t :tl8 amount
allowed.
SOllie iiepartmetlts he,ve a limited runount of United. St a tes Government fu..'lds
avai l ab l e for t he purchase of Dooks , but othe;r departments which need t hem just
as badly, have not been 9'ble to get any. 'rhe vVork c.nd reputa tion of tbe inst:i tution
is 00und t o suffer if s ome 'Drovis:on is !lo t soon maC'~E' t o provide t his vital enncA-tione,l
need.
Lab oratory e o_uipment :i.S ~mo th e r serious need. ! t i s i mpos s ible to t ee.ch
science ancl engineering \lTi t ::..:>u.t le.-ooratory wo r k . NothiI!g but; t he absolutely
essential sup:;?1i&S have -been nought i n t he,?ast l' ur yet:-rs . I n 1920 we bough t
3-D ai r compressor for the mechanical labora,t ory . It was valued a t $1 , 300. 00
but was sole t o us for $800 . 00 . I t was del ivered i n t he spring of 1931 . The
appr opria tion of the department 11." (1. been p i nched to save enoug...'0. t o p-rect the
l,:achi.n.e in t!l.€ 18oor e.tory, a:'1Q. it 1'/03.8 expected. to do tne joo immediately after
COl1lit:.6ncement . 011 :iViay 1 t ItS presid.ent took away all 'b a l ances of t hE: ccifferent
depar t ments and no money rema ined with "rh ieh t o erect t rJi s mJ:l.cn ine . During t he
summE:r of 1932, onf; of our ~J, umni wa s without a j ob :md s t 8yin.g here in Auburn ,
a na. .he offered t o build the foundation a..'ld set the machine on it wHhout char g e .
Last year t he C'dA :;ot t he m~t€.r:i. al and put in t he electric l ine t.o thi s rnac}! ~~ n e
at a cost of sOl:lething over $200 . 00. Vie hao everyt_dng lined up a,_('t ex~} e cted to get
t he j ob fini shed by CWA. but t ile funds were w:i. t h0..l'awn before it was reached . We
a re go i ng to try to ge t i ~ on t nE list i f any goverrunent ~. ork is approved for the
campus t h is year . Students to the numb er of more than 500 have b.een denied the
use 0 : this importa.nt machine for the l aek of !iVA or six hll.ndred cl.0 1::_rs to
set it up .
Closely c onnected with the ma t ter of l ab ora tory e quipment i !' tha t of r ese reh.
'- The Agricultural Experiment St a tion has a ~on si Qerabl€; allotm6nt of funds bot h s t a.te
and nat ional. Much more could. be used to ac.va.ntege but a grep.t deal of imF ort ~mt
work is 1> eing o.one . We believe t ha t it is equally imp ortant t hat i nd.u stri a1 research
be carried on by A'lbu.rn . Meetings have heen held during theiast yea.r promoting the
coo:;?e r e tion of .Agric·ul ture and I ndus try and we shoul d. be prepa rp.d to serve ino_ustry
i n the research f ield.
Our Enginetring Experiment St v tion was established in 1929. For two ye ar~
we received a small appropria tion and c arried on several res earch pro.iects . Six
bull_ tins have been is sued but lIIUch of t h e material in t hEse bulletins is in t h e
nature of a compilat ion of information r a thEor t han new ffiC! ter i a l discovered by
l eo.boratory resear ch. The bulletins on Gla.ss from Bl ast Furnace Sl ag have b een
called f or from all OVE:r the world where g l a.ss is iliad.e . and it is believed that
t ~_ is h a s been a. most valuable pi ece of work. These bull et i r.s (I re t he r esult. of
experimenta.l work a nd later Verified 0 11 a mfl.nufac t u ring scale .
Dr . Basore and Prof. Jones have done some valUEble work i n t h eir res e:ar(;h on
surfe.ce r>a rdening of iron 8nd steel . To il lus tra te t t.8 economic possibili t i ,:,s in
only one applicc ti ol1 of tDis ';,a t erial.- I Dst summer t hey bought t .1ree plow I?oirits or
sh ove l s all alike . One of t h ese was c overed wi th i :t.e surfa ce har <ie "1 :;'ng ma terial and
t his and one of t h e othErs were put on plows B.nd used s i ue by sic.e for 80 hours .
The untreated s ilOveJ. was sharpened by do blacksrr..it h t en t imes a t a cost of fif t een
c ents each time . or a tota l cost of $1. 50 . The tre:".t."'a. shovel was worn so little
a.t t h e end. vf SO hour~ t hat at a dis tance i t could not "oe <iist:.nguished fr om t he
one t ho t h8d. not -beelJ u sed [, .1e:. looked t c oe easi1;r good fo r 80 mor e hours of service .
It is E:r.t i r el;,: pr a ct i ca l to stamJ these sh ovels out of Geiler pl a te . d.ip them
i n the h' rde ni. n,.<; s olution and. sell th<:m for only A few cents mor e th8n the farmer
now PC::;' ·s . ~.i:ley I'd l l re quire no bl a ck smith work and will give pt least f i ve ti:r,es
the service per (' ol l a r cos t now r eceived f r om tr~e st pno.ard product .
The coal i ndustry has suffered greatly during t h E: depression . There is a vast
a.l<A. fruitful fiE:ld. for research t o fincl ne,; '.lses f or coal ane coa l products and a
little money invested Vloul d a l :nost c6rtDinl;y' bring r icr: returns. ".','hen we gE t an
estaclished and Vlorking organiz8tion I an-I sure WE. can obt !?in financial as sis t ance
", fror;'! t he i l1G.us tries for certa i n studies . but until such stab l e ::. r ge.:13_za tio:c. i s
formeu. i ndustries .:ill 1;6 slOVi to put mO::1e;,{ into it .
Anoth . r urgEmt need is belie'tTed to be a student councill o:.' or Dean of 11:en
to give full t L-nE. to ma.intai n h lg cont e ·..:t. with the stuo.ents . espe.::i e.lly the
f r e shmen and sophomore classes . 'fie have no a.u di tor ium i n which we c a.n assemble
the l,'hole stu dent body an i t b.us mal-ce contact and ~ ri ng to t hem advice and i nspi
r a tion?,l ta lks. Man~r of t he freshmpn espeCially accus t offied to living a t h0me a l1d.
having s ome one t o keep t ha.'!l. at work. go a. b i t ~" i 1 (1, .. ;hen they ent er college and
befor'" they realize t .o.eir sit uation hRve f a.l l en be11ind. wi th their work so far that
t hey cannot catch up . and. they become di. scouraged. Most of t hese c ould oe s8,ved
i f we had. a good man to keep i n t ouch ·;.- i th th em. enc ourage t~. em ani p:: r haps scare
them s ome.
These matters are brought to your a t t ent i on on t hE t .-leory t h a t you can act
mor e intc. .U; g F.J t ly C'.S i't f fl()EerS ') ~' t: f = )ard if you are f amiliar with t ne more imp
ortant needs of t~e i nstitution.
The Adninistra tive Committee has work ed har d under many difficult i es to
maintain t he high s te ~'ld.a rds and good. re ,mt a tion of the institution . Each merr,ter
of t h e Comlui.ttee has carried a c onsidere.ble part of his old load and t ile work of
Adminis tra t ion he.s been divid.ed ar.::tong the members . The u tmost ha rmony has prevailed
in the Oommi t t ee in all its act ions a nci duti es a.nd I a'Ii sure t hat each member has
rendered the b est service of wili cr. 11e is c a.pabl e t o t he insti t-u.t i on to Y!!lich he has
dedicated his l i fe .
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